Google and its video game studio, Niantic Labs, are adding another layer to their augmented reality app, Ingress, by bringing it to TV, The Information reports. In Ingress, players travel -- in physical reality -- to marked locations called "portals," and they hack and defend those positions using iOS and Android devices, including Android Wear. It's a lot of mystery, stealth and geolocation wrapped in a sci-fi vibe, and players are meant to feel like operatives in world-changing missions. Plus, the app has been downloaded more than 10 million times since launching in 2012. Yeah, that sounds like it could make for a fairly entertaining TV show.

Remember Ingress, the Google-developed project that entices you to get outside with the promise of some light gaming? On top of iOS and Android, it'll soon work on Android Wear, meaning you can join in the fun with your smartwatch rather than just your smartphone (though you'll still need that too, of course). The idea is to get teams together to play on either on the "enlightened" (establishment) side, or as a rebel on team "resistance." Senior members can create missions, in which players attack, defend or reinforce "portals" based on local landmarks like village squares or statues. The game notifies you when friendly or enemy portals are in range, and whether or not they're under attack -- with a Google Now-style card guiding you to the precise location, as shown below.

Google's augmented reality exploration game, Ingress, has had a pretty eventful 2014, including an iOS release back in July and the addition of user-created missions a few months later. Now, developer Niantic Labs is closing out the year by getting in the holiday spirit. In a recent blog post, the Ingress team announced its #MissionsForGood campaign, aiming to entice players on both sides of the augmented reality conflict to give back to their respective communities during the holidays. Using the recently added user-created missions feature, verified agents (level 8 and higher) can designate portals at or near local charities and add the #MissionsForGood hashtag in mission titles. The team also added a unique medal for the campaign.

Ingress certainly has a following among augmented reality gamers, but its relative lack of direction can be intimidating -- especially if you're a newcomer. Where do you go first? As of today, you'll (usually) have an easy answer. Google's Niantic Labs has added user-created missions to the game that give you an incentive to get moving. Effectively, they're walking tours with objectives. You're usually asked to hack portals or solve puzzles at each stop, with the promise of special medals at the end. Each mission includes both average completion times and ratings, so you'll likely know in advance whether or not a given adventure is worth the effort.

Today, we take a look at the history behind 3D motion capture animations, scratch-test a nearly indestructible sapphire display, watch iOS users join the AR war of Ingress and learn about a $20 chip that detects diabetes. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.

Google's Niantic Labs grew the potential audience for Ingress in a big way late last year, when it put out the finished Android version of its augmented reality game. Today, the studio is taking the next (if fairly obvious) step toward grabbing more players: it's releasing the long-promised iOS edition. Both iPad and iPhone owners can now capture territory ("portals" in Ingress-speak) and build up their virtual skills by visiting real locations. The experience will be very familiar if you've played before; missions give you an incentive to keep coming back, while faction chats let you coordinate turf battles and meet fellow players. There aren't any major tweaks or upgrades that we've seen. The game ultimately remains an excuse to explore new places, but that's not a bad thing if you're tired of visiting the same old haunts -- hit the App Store if you're willing to give it a spin. Slideshow-207028

We knew Google's Niantic Labs was planning to use its Ingress tech to power other augmented reality games, but we didn't expect this. In an announcement today, Niantic announced it has teamed up with publisher HarperCollins to create a location-based game for ENDGAME, a new book trilogy for young adults by bestselling authors James Frey (of A Million Little Pieces fame) and Nils Johnson-Shelton that has already been optioned by Twentieth Century Fox. Niantic will play a significant part in the interactive project, which is lovingly referred to as an "innovative omni-platform endeavor," by developing a virtual-meets-real-world game that allows mobile users to solve virtual puzzles to advance parts of the story.

Google's involvement doesn't end there, either. The company has secured the rights to exclusively distribute six of 15 original e-books on the Play Store and will also use YouTube videos, search and image results and maps to build the story, mirroring elements of Niantic's Ingress campaigns. So when can we expect the project to bear fruit? HarperCollins says the first first book in the trilogy, ENDGAME: THE CALLING (yes, it appears someone's Caps Lock got stuck), will be published on October 7th, along with Niantic's official iOS and Android games. To mark the occasion, gamers will be asked to solve a virtual puzzle to claim a quantity of gold secured inside a bulletproof glass case. If that's got you excited, there is a catch -- the case is on public display and Google plans to stream the event live on YouTube.

Eventually, Google's Niantic Labs will have to wind down Ingress' storyline. However, that won't be the end of the developer's augmented reality efforts. Niantic tellsThe Verge that it's working on programming kits that would let aspiring coders build their own games with chat layers, location info and (if necessary) in-game ads. Jut don't expect to write your own title any time soon. Niantic doesn't yet know when the tools will be ready, and their availability may depend on the kind of flexibility that the team wants to offer. If the developer plays its cards right, though, Ingress fans will have a lot more to look forward to than just the beta's end or iOS support.

It's been just over a year since Google's Niantic Labs launched Ingress, an alternate and augmented reality turf war game, as a closed beta. Last Friday, the game ditched its invitation requirement, and today Niantic announced that Ingress will lose its beta tag on December 14. So, in just over a month, anyone with an Android phone can join in the search for XM and start battling for control of the world's portals by downloading the app from Google Play.

The good news isn't just for new players, either. Ingress agents who've been playing awhile can now earn the new Founder Medal badge if they reach level 5 in the game before the beta ends. Lastly, Niantic is announcing the Ingress Elite Agent challenge for all players, which starts today and runs until December 14. Players who have the best Ingress performance stats and submit "a creative social media submission" will get a free trip to California next February to work with Niantic Labs on the ever-evolving Ingress story. Want to know more? The Google plus source link's got all the details you need.

For the past year, the Ingress beta has been as much an exclusive club as it is an augmented reality game -- you've had to request an invitation to play. Google and Niantic Labs must want more of us to join the party, though, as they've quietly dropped the invitation requirement. Any Android user interested in virtual turf wars now just has to download the beta from Google Play to start claiming territory. The promised iOS version still isn't available, although Niantic Labs' Brandon Badger recently toldAllThingsD that the port should be available sometime in 2014. While that's a long time to wait, iOS players will at least have plenty of opponents once they arrive.

Massively multiplayer games are all well and good, but what's the point of anything without merit badges, really? The latest upgrade to Google's covert mobile game Ingress brings a new achievement system that lets players track their own progress (and the progress of other players) and earn up to ten badges, including the likes of Explorer, Pioneer and Liberator. The update will be hitting accounts over the next few days. More info in the source link below.

As expected, the star of the show is here: Verizon has unveiled the Motorola Droid Ultra at its New York City press event. The 5-inch smartphone is "all about thin," according to Moto, and sports a glossy, unibody Kevlar shell that makes it thinner (7.18mm) yet stronger than its predecessors. It's also speedier: a new dual-core X8 Mobile Computing System delivers about 24 percent faster processing power than the previous generations, graphics that are twice as quick and dedicated chips for both contextual computing and language processing. It sports the software tricks we've seen in leaks of the Moto X, such as hands-free voice control, Active Display notifications and Quick Capture. Google's augmented reality game Ingress comes preloaded for more adventurous owners. The Droid Ultra ships August 20th for $199, and pre-orders are starting today.

All the viral ads courtesy of Niantic Labs told us something was coming, and now its here -- an alternate reality game from Google called Ingress. The theme is one of worldwide mind control, and it'll be played out in real life, where you'll be a part of one of two teams which either embrace or fight "the power" -- The Enlightened or The Resistance, respectively. With a companion mobile app installed, you'll venture out into the world collecting energy known as "Exotic Matter" (XM), found at real locations. This can then be spent claiming, stealing or reinforcing "portals," which are positioned at key public places. Teamwork will be essential, as the goal is to create zones controlled by your faction, and attacking those occupied by the enemy. One team will eventually win, although this end point is expected to be a year to 18 months down the line.

John Hanke of Niantic Labs said some of the inspiration for Ingress came from JJ Abrams, and hardcore Lost fans may remember a similarly cryptic internet 'game' focused around the show. The Ingress app is available on Google Play today, with an iOS version in the pipe, and if you want you play, sign up at the source below to request access. Your mobile device will provide you with an overview of your local battlefield when you're out and about, but a web client can keep you up to date on the global war while you're sat at a computer. Check out the video and app screenshots below, and if you're still confused as to what it's all about -- well, that's how they want you to feel.